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#Leadership : Leading Horizontally Could Take You to The Top…To Advance to a More Senior Management Position, the Ability to “Play Well” With your Peers is Vitally Important –Meeting your Targets is Not Enough.

May 10, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

In this article, we will suggest three keys ways to work more effectively with your colleagues and perhaps, change the types of relationships you are having in the workplace.

Effectively leading horizontally is likely to increase your sphere of influence within your organization, enhance your productivity, better the organization, and it may just result in you experiencing more job satisfaction.

Over the years, scholars and business journalists have written several articles and books on how to “manage up” in the context of organizations – specifically how to manage relationships with supervisors. For example, see Karl’s recent blog post . Our bosses naturally want to work with us since we help them, solve their problems, and in our more lucid moments, accomplish seemingly unattainable feats. It goes without saying that our first responsibility as a manager is to the people that work for us. There are also countless books and articles about how leaders within organizations can mobilize employees to fulfill a vision. Each of these situations requires individuals to manage a vertical relationship.

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The thing is that you don’t have legitimate power or a superior title over your peers, and they may not even work in your division; nonetheless, you depend on them to successfully complete your job and demonstrate you’re ready for middle and senior management. One could frame the question in the following manner: “How should one lead horizontally?” By leading horizontally, we refer to the ability of individuals to exercise their power of personal influence with people of equal or similar status within their organization.

There are three things to keep in mind when attempting to lead horizontally:

1) Identify precisely what the other person needs from you;

2) Identify ways that the other person can benefit from helping you;

3) Identify ways that you can create a client-server relationship with that person, rather than just a peer, or colleague-relationship of equal status. Underlying these ideas is the notion of trust. To have a healthy and influential working relationship, you will have to cultivate trust by being open and honest with your colleagues.

What does he or she need from you?

Power in any relationship is based on the relative needs interdependent people have for one another. In the workplace, your colleagues need you to fulfill particular tasks at particular times, in particular ways. You probably know the parameters of those tasks, but are you fully aware of how much the other person depends on you? Are you perfectly clear about what it feels like to them when you do your job at the highest level of proficiency rather than the lowest prong of mediocrity? Some people don’t take the time to consider this, but it’s one of the keys to increasing your influence in this relationship.

Generally, people tend to want to return a favor to someone who does something helpful for them. You may not like your colleague, or you may think they are not worthy of your extra effort. Nevertheless, everyone benefits when everyone is working for the betterment of the company. You are also more likely to be viewed as a team player by many of your co-workers, particularly your superiors. This is particularly true if your manager knows that you and the other person don’t necessarily get along very well.

Further to this point, the question you want to answer in relation to your counterpart is the following: “What might I do to make your job easier?” We are suggesting you ask this very question. They will often be surprised, perhaps even pleasantly surprised because they have never heard it before. This approach will provide you a much better understanding (not just base knowledge) of your colleague’s task, and his or her perspective on your role in the larger scheme of the work that needs to be done. In many instances you’ll find that people will reciprocate, the consequence of which is that your job becomes easier by making someone else’s job easier. The concept is basic, but without knowing the strengths, weaknesses, systems, and needs of certain colleagues and your organization, you might as well be playing proverbial “battleship”.

How might he or she benefit from helping you?

It goes without saying that people are motivated mostly by self-interest. The crucial question on this point is: “how might this person benefit from helping me?” Now, this may require some creative thinking on your part, but it could be very much worth the effort. In some ways this is the opposite side of the same coin discussed above. In this instance, it’s not you helping them directly – it’s you convincing that person that cooperating with you will inure to the benefit of their job, or overall responsibility. An example might be as simple as telling your supervisor that an individual was instrumental to your completion of a project and you would like to make sure he or she is commended appropriately. Not only might this help that person receive a better job evaluation, but in taking such steps, you could generate good will between the two of you, your supervisors, and your departments.

How can I create a server-client relationship?

Finally, begin to view your colleagues as “internal customers or clients.” This requires a major shift for most people. Have you heard the saying, “familiarity breeds contempt”? The more familiar and comfortable we are with people, the more we tend to take them for granted. This may manifest itself through having a more careless attitude, procrastinating on routine projects, paying less attention to detail, etc. The behaviors one typically exhibits to an authority or “bill payer” in the corporate context is often, and naturally, very different than the behavior exhibited to the person in the office next door. The natural impulse to treat internal people with less care should be resisted, and instead, treat them more like you would a client.

When you actively choose to view your colleagues as clients with their own needs, goals, and idiosyncrasies, you are likely to become more tolerant of their behaviors. This doesn’t mean that you have to simply accept their behaviors, but it is more productive if you accept that you must find a way to work peacefully with this person. It is unproductive to allow communication channels to become blocked and otherwise ineffective. This will do nothing more than increase strife in your organization while simultaneously decreasing collegiality, effectiveness, and work efficiency.

Karl Moore, Ph.D. is associate professor at Desautels Faculty of Management and associate fellow at Green Templeton College, Oxford University.

Forbes.com | May 10, 2016 | Karl Moore CONTRIBUTOR

Your #Career : 7 Mistakes For Rookie Job Seekers To Avoid… Mistake #1. If you Have Spent the Last 8 Hours Posting for Jobs Online, you Have Wasted 7 Hours & 50 Minutes.

May 10, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

A job search is like a marathon. You can’t cut corners on the preparation and expect to cross the finish line in record time. Everyone who is in a job search wants the silver bullet. There isn’t one. Job searching, even under the best of circumstances, is a lot of work. Be prepared for a lot of rejection, but also for a lot of kindness and support along the way.

I meet many job seekers who have never had to conduct a formal job search. After coaching over a thousand clients at every professional level and across practically every industry, I’ve found that most make the same rookie mistakes.

If you’re looking for a new job, below are some tips for starting off your search on the right foot:

1. If you have spent the last eight hours posting for jobs online, you have wasted seven hours and 50 minutes. It can be tempting to apply to jobs online. So many positions are listed, and so many appear to be a fit. But while you are hitting the send button, so are 500+ other people. Job postings represent the open market; the jobs everyone gets to see. Most people source their jobs through the hidden job market, the ones where opportunities are shared through close contacts and conversations. Shift your strategy and spend most of your time networking for job leads, and limit your time applying to jobs online.

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2. Just because you did it doesn’t mean it belongs on your resume.Many people’s resumes read like a laundry list of everything they’ve ever done. A resume should be targeted to the needs of an employer and prove where you can add value. The employee recognition award you received for a Y2K conversion back in 1999 probably isn’t going to cut it with an employer in 2016. Instead, tell stories of initiatives you are involved in today that are helping to move your company, industry or profession forward.

3. Don’t tell me about the things you were expected to do; write about the things you did that no one ever dreamed possible. Most resumes describe tasks that hundreds of others perform in their jobs every day. What catches the hiring manager’s attention is the value you brought to that job task. For example, if you are an operations executive, don’t just write that you ran a call center. Instead, explain how you transformed its performance, implemented metrics to improve accountability and the customer experience, or saved money or time.

4. If no one returns your calls requesting a networking meeting, you are leaving the wrong message. Many people approach their contacts by saying something like, “If you know anyone who is hiring, please let me know.” It’s highly unlikely that your contact knows someone who is hiring for a position with your skill set right now. A better message would be to say, “I’m in a career transition and I would love to pick your brain to learn more about your company, the industry and trends in the profession. I wanted to reach out to you because I trust your opinion and value your advice.” By asking for information rather than a job, you are more likely to get a response and initiate a conversation. Many will be flattered that you asked and will reciprocate with whatever help they can offer.

5. People who don’t think online networking is relevant to their job search will become irrelevant to the hiring managers who think it is. Many job seekers are still reluctant to create an online digital footprint. But it’s becoming more difficult to substantiate being an expert in your profession when there is no online proof of your thought leadership. LinkedIn will be the social media tool of choice for many professionals — but don’t just create a shell of a profile. Optimize your professional image with proof of your accomplishments via strong stories of success, keywords, the LinkedIn publishing platform, and even case studies and videos if appropriate.

6. People think they should talk in general terms about career successes, but you build trust with interviewers by talking about specifics. The goal of the interview is to build trust and engagement. This is best done by showcasing stories about business problems you have solved that are relevant to the organization, not by focusing on the typical personality clichés. Telling the interviewer how you influenced the entire senior management team to fund a multimillion-dollar technology upgrade that in turn protected them from a cyber-security breach will be much more memorable than simply telling him you are a good communicator.

7. When hiring managers ask you in an interview what your weakness is, they already know. The goal is to figure out what they believe is the gap in your candidacy and address it head on. Perhaps you lack experience in a particular industry or don’t have the MBA they say is preferred. Show that while you don’t have a certain qualification, you have other skills that are more relevant and transferable. For example, an HR professional who doesn’t have hospital experience and is interviewing for a role in a hospital can focus on the similarities within the HR function that transcend industries. The candidate who lacks an MBA can show how they’ve solved business problems that are frequently solved by candidates who have the degree.

A job search is like a marathon. You can’t cut corners on the preparation and expect to cross the finish line in record time. Everyone who is in a job search wants the silver bullet. There isn’t one. Job searching, even under the best of circumstances, is a lot of work. Be prepared for a lot of rejection, but also for a lot of kindness and support along the way.

Forbes.com | May 10, 2016 | Forbes Coaches Council

#Leadership : 5 Critical Choices You Must Make Every Day At Work…The Workplace is Evolving & your Success is Highly Dependent upon the Choices you Make to Influence its Future – & Equally your Own.

May 9, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

As the marketplace changes faster than ever before, organizations and their brands are attempting to reinvent themselves to stay relevant – before their competitors pass them by. The speed of change also makes you more accountable for the choices you make to survive and thrive in a workplace that is testing your overall contributions every day – made all the more difficult asthe playbook for success and eventual significance is constantly being reconfigured and redefined.

Don’t wait; Seize the opportunity and be courageous enough to take action. Regardless of the outcome, you are earning respect and learning along the way. If failure is not an option, you are working for the wrong employer.

Every day at work you are faced with choices – not always easy whenpolitically charged with the hidden agendas of others. Let’s face it, you are trying to figure out how to best fit in and get discovered. You realize that to advance in your career, how others perceive you must be in alignment with the expectations you can be counted upon to consistently deliver.

To stay in control of what others are saying about you, you must always reflect the identity you seek to establish for yourself within the organization you serve. This means that you must be ever mindful of your unique differences and perspectives and how they can be best leveraged by the leaders and colleagues throughout your organization. In the new world of work – where everyone is attempting to establish themselves at a time when people are more uncertain about the future – you must take accountability for yourself.

To ensure you stay on track towards building the momentum you seek to achieve success in your career, here are five choices you must make every day at work – that can make or break your future.

1. Do You Consistently Over Deliver?

It’s no longer enough to do your job – that is, using your job description as the basis for your responsibilities and deliverables. In today’s workplace, you must overdeliver and define new standards and metrics for success. Overdelivering is not just about performing your primary job duties/functions, but abouthelping others do theirs too – well beyond the obvious. Overdelivering means being active and visible well beyond the job – by participating in corporate social responsibility, community outreach goals, etc.

If you are only doing what you believe others expect from you – challenge yourself to find new ways to do things better. Never be predictable. Consistently overdeliver and keep others on their toes. Allow your influence to propel others to equally over deliver.

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2. Do You Hold Your Boss Accountable?

I am not referring to what many people call “managing up.” Holding your boss accountable in this case is more about making sure that he or she is pushing you and providing you the guidance to ensure you reach your full potential. This is what a leader or boss is ultimately responsible to do. Unfortunately, not many leaders are good at this – if they are more interested in themselves rather than advancing themselves by serving others.

In an assessment by my organization, we asked leaders if they are vulnerable with their employees and/or colleagues; 69% of leaders said that they were vulnerable only “sometimes.” The question is intended to reveal if leaders actually know that it is in their best interest to be vulnerable if they are going to make others feel safe to speak-up; to share their ideas and ideals. Unfortunately, vulnerability has been associated for much too long as a weakness or as exposing one’s limitations.

Truth be told that in today’s workplace, everyone is in search of answers – new, fresh ways of doing things – and if we can’t be vulnerable, how can we solve for problems together; if we are not aware of our opportunity gaps, how can we be more efficient and effective. This is how we will eventually be able to discover the full potential in one another – and the business we serve.

3. Do You Strive To Be More Inclusive?

Being inclusive means that you must be more open-minded to fresh perspectives, new approaches and opinions. Make the smart choice of getting out of your comfort zone, be more curious and make room for diversity of thought. It’s no longer about what you know, but what you do with what you know. We live in a wisdom-based economy and your ability to bring the right people into the right conversations – to see beyond one’s job title and job description – is an absolute must.

In the previously mentioned assessment, we also asked leaders if they embrace diversity of thought and utilize one’s individual strengths. When 72% of respondents said – “always” – I became conflicted with the validity of this answer, especially when 69% of these same respondents said that they were “sometimes” vulnerable with their employees.

If your leaders are not leading by example – don’t wait – activate yourself to do what is required given that the workplace is more diverse than ever before. Give yourself the room to welcome differences in thought and accept this one important fact: we all desire similar things – we just have unique options; pathways to choose from.Never minimize the thinking of others – embrace it and learn to get more comfortable being more inclusive.

4. Do You Establish Your Identity?

Take ownership of your identity and don’t allow others to define it for you. Stop battling the gulf between assimilation and authenticity. Forget about what others want you to be and establish your own identity at work; don’t ask permission to be your most authentic self. Everyone has distinction and this is what allows you to be original. But distinction is hard when you feel that you need to be someone that you are not. This is why originality is hard to find. People spend too much time mimicking others. Be courageous enough to live your identity – and equally encourage others to do the same.

Leaders are looking for people that are comfortable in their own skin – and are easily turned off by those that act differently depending upon the environment.Live your identity consistently and responsibly – and don’t ever stop shining the stoplight of accountability on yourself to be yourself. Don’t fall into the trap of an identity crisis – because when this happens your self-trust begins to wane and any momentum that you are trying to create will be lost.

5. Do You Close Opportunity Gaps?

It’s easy to point fingers at others when problems rise to the surface that you are ultimately responsible for handling. Unfortunately, too many people complain when problems arise rather than try to find alternative solutions. These are the people that don’t commit to the aforementioned four points.

When you see (identify) opportunity gaps, immediately find ways to seize (close) them. As a responsible employee, your gut tells you to take action when faced with adversity. But unfortunately, more often than not, you don’t;instead you wait for those around you to take the calculated risks that you were hesitant to take yourself.

Don’t wait; seize the opportunity and be courageous enough to take action. Regardless of the outcome, you are earning respect and learning along the way. If failure is not an option, you are working for the wrong employer. You must be given room to fail during a time when no one has all the answers. We are all experiencing on the job training. Don’t forget that risk is created for the organization that allows opportunity gaps to widen. Close the gaps before circumstances force your hand. And when that happens – everyone loses – including yourself.

Leaders want employees that take ownership; that are proactive and recognize the importance of working smart for the betterment of a healthy whole. Make these five critical choices and live them every day at work, as a first step to taking ownership and accountability for your success, that of others, and the organization you serve. Don’t let the rapidly changing marketplace pass you by because you didn’t see and seize the opportunity to evolve with it.

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Forbes.com | May 9, 2016 | Glenn Llopis

#Leadership : 13 Ways To Overcome Negative Thought Patterns….You View the World Through your Mental Attitude. If that Attitude is Predominantly Negative, it Can Impact Everything, Including Health, Career, Family, & More. Furthermore, Negative Thinking can Have a Spiraling Effect that Attracts More Negative Thinking.

May 9, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Luckily, we can slowly train ourselves over time on how to think by implementing simple techniques. Below, coaches from Forbes Coaches Council offer their guidance on how to get started.

Here are the thirteen (13):

1. Have Daily Negative Thought Time

A paradoxical strategy to gain control over negative thinking is to commit to 10minutes a day ruminating and reviewing them over and over again. Negative Thought Time (NTT) must be 10 minutes and must be every day. When you have a negative thought during the day, jot it down, and tell yourself that you’ll review them during NTT. Over time, you will gain control and negative thinking will stop. – Julie Kantor, PhD, JP Kantor Consulting

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2. Replace the Negative Thoughts

We don’t overcome negative thought patterns, we replace them. For most of us, those negative thought patterns are well-worn neural pathways. Four simple steps:

Notice when you have started the pattern.
Acknowledge that its a pattern you want to change.
Articulate what you want to be different.
Choose a different behavior — one that serves your goals.

– David Taylor-Klaus, DTK Coaching

3. Be Your Own Best Friend

We are mean to ourselves. Nearly 90% of self-talk is negative. Three steps:

Release it. Let it out to help process, not to dwell. Three minutes, then the pity party is over.
Track it. Identify when you have negative thoughts. Awareness will enable reframing.
Reframe it. Once you know why you are being mean, consider what your best friend would say to you. Then tell yourself what you need to hear.

– Michelle Tillis Lederman, Executive Essentials

4. Write Instead of Think

Write down why the negative thought is present. Writing versus thinking helps purge the thought out, and when you can see the words on paper or a screen it is easier to make sense of it and move forward. – Steven Cohen, Meyvn Global

5. Make a Conscious Effort to Find Things to Love, Like and Appreciate

Instead of fighting negative thoughts, consciously reach for better feeling thoughts. One powerful way to do that is to speak (out loud if you can) to what you love, like and appreciate. Heading into a tough talk? “I love the way the coffee tastes today.” “I like the way this chair feels at my back.” “I appreciate the chance to process ideas with my team.” Reach for the relief, and you’ll find it. – Wendy Pitts Reeves, C2C Consulting, PLLC

6. Ask Yourself Some Tough Questions

Reflect on your answers to some tough questions. 1. What do I get from having negative thought patterns? What’s the reward for me? 2. What do I lose by engaging in negative thoughts? What are the costs? 3. What benefits would I receive from engaging in positive thoughts? What costs are associated with thinking more positively? 4. What in my past made me think negatively? 5. What will I do now? – Bill Gardner, Noetic Outcomes Consulting, LLC

7. Establish New Habits

Rather than thinking of it in terms of “overcoming” negative thought patterns, think of it in terms of establishing new habits. You do that by directing your attention to subjects where there’s nothing to “overcome”: subjects that you already feel good about, and therefore think positively about. That could be your pet, your painted toe nails, being outside, the beach… Start with something easy. – Christine Meyer, Christine Meyer Coaching

8. Stop Watching the Morning News

Research has shown just three minutes of negative news in the morning will significantly increase your chances of a negative experience over the course of the day. Research has also shown that positive mindset increases productivity and satisfaction while reducing errors rates. Mindset is a choice, but not always an easy one. Look to eliminate negative influences and stop watching morning news! – Dr. Woody Woodward, HCI

9. Use Affirmations

When you wake up, open your eyes and feel gratitude for the new day. Write down daily affirmations: “I love the people I work with,” “I make positive contributions every day,” or “I am open to inspired thoughts.” If a negative thought creeps in, think of a success you’ve had and the feeling that went with it. Positive thinking is a daily task, but worth it. – Erin Kennedy, Professional Resume Services, Inc.

10. Develop Your Success Routine

Every morning for fifteen years, I’ve done a process I created called “Quantum Programming.” It involves taking time each morning as you wake to meditate and focus on the person you want to be and the quality of life you want to live. You also set a few important goals to keep your momentum building toward your dreams. When you know what you want and are driving at it daily, negativity will fade. – Brett Baughman, The Brett Baughman Companies, Inc.

11. Channel Those Thoughts Into Something Constructive

Negative thought patterns can easily take over, but a fantastic (and constructive) trick is to identify what the negative thought pattern is and a project you’re excited about. Then, consciously commit to this: Every time you find yourself focusing on the negative, refocus your thoughts for five minutes on your exciting project. I did this recently and a new initiative is now ahead of schedule! – Emily Kapit, MS, MRW, ACRW, CPRW, ReFresh Your Step, LLC

12. Focus on Gratitude

Gratitude is underrated by most but is essential to a happy life. Life doesn’t get easier, but we become stronger as we reframe difficulties by recognizing all of the little good things going on around us. Keep a Good List and refer to it daily. Also, focus on what you really want and be very specific. A focused, positive mind will attract what it is seeking over time. – Jen Kelchner, TeenTrep.co

13. Try Movement and Meditation

As a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and a writing coach and author, I know that you can‘t escape negative thoughts without physically disrupting them. To get out of your head, get into your body. A few minutes of deliberate breath work (seated 10-15 minute meditation) or body movement (like a yoga class)can disrupt those thinking patterns. To get out of your head, move more. Feel more. – Dave Ursillo, The Literati Writers

Forbes.com | May 9, 2016 | Forbes Coaches Council

Your #Career : How To Know Which Skills To Develop At Each Stage Of Your Career….By Mid-Career, the Hard Skills that Got you the Job Won’t Be the Ones That Get you Promoted.

May 8, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

At the start of your career, chances are good that you’ll be hired primarily for your “hard skills”—the stuff you know that’s relevant for the job. When you’re fresh out of college or even a few years into your career, things like what software you’ve mastered, the knowledge you’ve picked up during internships and in school, and your other technical credentials really matter.

But what no one quite tells you is that while you might’ve been initially hired for those hard skills, they gradually matter less. The further you get in your career, the less you’ll be evaluated on those same skills—and this is especially important once you reach your mid-career point. Why? Because the hard skills that got you the job won’t be the ones that get you promoted.

Now that’s not to say that improving your technical skills isn’t important. You should get better and faster at whatever your craft is over the course of your career, whether that’s coding, designing, researching, or something else. But if that’s the only area you improve in, you may find advancement more elusive than you’d expected. Improving your technical skills may be enough to get you promoted from level one to two, or coordinator to associate, but to advance higher, you’ll have to show improvement in other areas as well.

SHIFT TOWARD SOFT SKILLS . . .

So how do you do that? It starts with knowing what really counts when it comes to advancement at each stage of your career. While every role is different, the secret is to progressively invest more in your “soft skills”—your ability to get things done, your leadership abilities, and your likability at work (like it or not).

To get started—and no matter where you are in your present career—take a minute to assess where you stand in each of these categories:

The further you climb, the more decisive these traits will become. Maybe you have a few of them under your belt but could brush up on others. Now that you know what you’re up against, it’s time to take action. Here’s a game plan for growing your soft skills:

1. Self assess. Taking stock of your recent work and workplace habits, which areas do you feel strongest in? Weakest in? Which do you believe is most crucial to prioritize now, and why? Knowing the answers to these questions will be important for framing your conversation with your manager in the next step.

2. Discuss with your manager. Now it’s time to get on the same page. Work with your boss to determine what’s most important for you to learn now versus in the future: How much weight does your manager give to growing in these areas? And do you agree? What can you expect to happen when you show growth in these areas? Try to get specific about what you’re being evaluated on at each level. Your responsibilities may look different at various career stages, so make sure you understand any internal “career ladders” available to you, and how these map to your strengths and areas of development.

3. Explore ways of growing these softer skills in your current job. And that growth may be closer at hand than you think. What opportunities for collaboration and leadership might already exist? What are some avenues for taking on more responsibility in these areas? Brainstorm opportunities and check in with your manager on them. You’ll want her support to take on new things, and to keep an eye on the progress you’re making.

. . . WITHOUT LOSING SIGHT OF THE HARD ONES

What if your manager says you still need to improve your technical skills?

If you find that your manager is focusing on the technical skills even while you’re trying to bulk up on soft ones, this could mean two things: Either you’re still at junior level and need to grow in the basics (which is normal at the beginning of your career), or, if you’re mid-career and still getting this feedback, you may be at a company that values technical skills over people skills when it comes to promotions.

If that’s the case, you might find that the higher you go in a company like that, the less you enjoy the people who surround you. Consider whether that view (and company!) is a good match for you. Perhaps you’d be better off finding a different company that values your soft skills as much as you do.

FastCompany.com | April 29, 2016 | XIMENA VENGOECHEA

Your #Career : 5 Mistakes People Make Straight Out of College…Whether you’re eady or Not, you will Need to Move Forward after College. Here are 5 Mistakes you Want to Avoid.

May 8, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Finishing college is a big accomplishment, and for many people, a big relief. College can be a lot of fun, but some people are just ready to start their careers and start the next phase of their lives. Whether you’re ready or not, you will need to move forward after college.

The years after graduating college should be exciting, and you can learn a lot and advance professionally and financially if you avoid financial and career mistakes.

Once you graduate though, making wise choices in your job search and at your first job, and smart financial decisions, will help set you up for a successful life and career. On the other hand, spending money like you will never run out, or failing to appreciate your first job and learn as much as possible, can set you down a bad path that can be hard to come back from.

Here are five mistakes you want to avoid.

1. Failing to take your job search seriously

Ideally, you will have a job set up before you graduate. If you don’t, you will want to make finding one your top priority. According to USA Today, you can get a job coach, and also network and reach out to people at a company that you want to work for. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a job will simply fall into your lap; you need to get out there and apply.

Also, be careful of taking just any job. While you have to pay your bills, you will be in a much better place career-wise if you can find a job in your field. This is another reason why you should start searching early.

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2. Coasting at your first job

Landing a job is a big deal, but don’t assume that just because you get a job, you will keep it. It’s important to work hard and prove that you deserve to be at the company. Particularly when you are working at your first job, you want to establish yourself as an asset to the company. Being lazy or doing the bare minimum will only hurt you later.

Even if your first job isn’t ideal, you can still make the most of it: learn as much as you can, grow professionally, and network. You never know how your hard work will pay off. Even if your first job isn’t as interesting as you want, or isn’t at the level that you want, working hard and showing that you are a loyal and innovative team member may lead to just the job you do want.

3. Spending money impulsively

Once you have a job, it can be exciting to spend the money you make. Having a lot of money for the first time can be exhilarating and it can be very dangerous as well. As tempting as it is to go out and buy a new car, new furniture, and splurge on many dinners out, try to limit your extravagant spending. You probably have some time before you need to start saving for retirement, but spending wildly just because you have a job won’t pay off in the long run.

According to U.S. News & World Report, you should consider the benefits your employer offers and take advantage of them; also, think about your fixed costs and about your future savings.

4. Ignoring debt

If you took out student loans, you probably have a grace period before you need to start repaying them. If you have other debt you need to pay off, then it’s reasonable to wait to pay off your student loans, especially if you have other debt with higher interest rates. However, it’s a good idea to pay off as much debt as you can now. You don’t need to pay the minimum due for your student loans, and if you have credit card debt, the same is true. The more you can pay off now, the more available funds you will have to save for traveling, a house, or retirement.

When you graduate college, you will most likely have as few responsibilities as you ever will. Now is the time to pay your debt if you can.

5.Forgetting about your health

Yes, you’re young, and it can be tempting to spend money on the things you want instead of investing in health insurance. However, if you are no longer on your parents’ plan (which you usually can be until you are 26 ifdependents are covered), you do need to think about coverage. Even if you are still on your parents’ plan, you won’t be forever and you need to look at what plans your company offers and the cost of those plans. Also, it’s important to consider how many years you have before you need to pay for the insurance, or how it will affect your budget.

If your parents can’t cover you, then be sure that you do sign up for coverage. Without health insurance, you risk a serious financial hardship if an expensive health surprise comes your way (this is also a good reason to have an emergency fund).

Also, when you are working full-time, it can be easy to neglect other aspects of your health, such as exercise or diet. Maintaining a healthy diet, and finding time for exercise, will help you save money on expensive health care costs later.

The years after graduating college should be exciting, and you can learn a lot and advance professionally and financially if you avoid financial and career mistakes.

CheatSheet.com | May 8, 2016 | Sienna Beard

#Leadership : 10 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success Before 9 A.M. …… You Certainly Don’t Need to Adopt All these Habits Right Away — Instead, you Should Figure Out Which of These Routines Work for You & Get you Psyched to Seize the Day Ahead.

May 7, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You might think the day doesn’treally start until you get to the office and your boss starts pestering you about some new assignment. But the truth is that the way you spend every moment, starting from the second you open your eyes, matters a lot. In fact, there are plenty of easy early-morning habits that can set the tone for a productive, enjoyable rest of the day.

Here we have rounded up 10 ways to start off the day on the right foot.

You certainly don’t need to adopt all these habits right away — instead, you should figure out which of these routines work for you and get you psyched to seize the day ahead.

1. Wake up early

Read about the morning routine of any successful figure, and you’ll probably learn that the person wakes up with — or before — the sun.

In fact, when time-management expert Laura Vanderkam polled 20 executives, she found that 90% woke up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. Ouch.

Even if you’re not a C-suite exec, getting an early start could help you advance in your career.Recent research suggests that employees who get into the office early are perceived by their bosses as better performers than those who get in late — even if the early arrivers leave early, too.

2. Stretch out

If your impulse when your alarm goes off is to curl up into a ball and hope it stops beeping, you’d be wise to change your routine.

According to Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy, the first thing you should do when you wake up is stretch your body as wide as possible. Cuddy suggests that your body influences your mind, so making yourself physically big could potentially make you feel more powerful, more confident, and happier for the rest of the day.

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3. Make your bed

Why make your bed if you’re just going to mess it up when you sleep in it later?

In his book “The Power of Habit,” journalist Charles Duhigg explains that making your bed is a “keystone habit” that can spark healthful, productive behaviors the rest of the day. In fact, Duhigg writes, people who consistently make their beds tend to have “a greater sense of well-being and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.”

Plus, it takes only a minute or two.

4. Meditate

Celebrities from NBA star Kobe Bryant to actor Jerry Seinfeld get up early to clear their minds through meditation.

As Buddhist teacher Ethan Nichtern writes in “The Road Home,” meditating in the morning can help you stay focused for the rest of the day.

“We get up freaking out about our day, so it’s a great way to settle the mind and gain perspective,” Nichtern says.

Nichtern recommends a four-step process for those learning to meditate:

1. Take your seat. Find a clear, comfortable, and quiet place where you can stay focused and alert.
2. Check in. Take about 30 seconds to think about what’s on your mind and just let it all sink in.
3. Mindfulness of breath. Don’t treat it as a breathing exercise, but use peaceful and deep breaths as the anchor to your meditation.
4. Awareness of thoughts. Focus on your thoughts, and when your mind gets lost, be sure to bring it back.

5. Journal

Tim Ferriss, investor and author of books including “The 4-Hour Workweek,” is one of many successful people who spend each morning jotting down their thoughts and emotions.

Ferriss says that it’s the process of writing, as opposed to the final product, that he finds helpful. Most important, it gets ideas and conflicts out of your head so they won’t distract you throughout the rest of the workday.

6. Exercise

For some of us, the thought of putting on pants before 9 a.m. is awful. The thought of bicycling before 9? Positively nightmarish.

And yet research suggests exercising in the morning can help us stay focused and productive. A 2013 study found that after 15 minutes of cycling, participants performed better on cognitive tasks than those who didn’t exercise.

Plus, you’ll be able to check exercise off your to-do list before personal and professional conflicts get in the way later in the day.

7. Eat breakfast

Business Insider’s Rachel Gillett spoke with registered dietitian Lisa DeFazio, who told her that your first meal of the day jump-starts your metabolism and replenishes blood-sugar levels so you can focus and be productive for the rest of the day. Otherwise, you could feel irritable and have a hard time concentrating.

DeFazio recommended some easy breakfasts that are perfect for the workday, including fiber-filled oatmeal and protein-packed smoothies.

8. Visualize your day

In his second book, “Smarter Faster Better,” Duhigg suggests telling yourself stories about how the day will unfold.

He writes about researchers at MIT who studied the most productive people at a recruiting firm and found that they were “obsessive, in fact, about trying to explain the world to themselves and their colleagues as they went about their days.” For example, they might ask colleagues to help them imagine how a future conversation or a pitch meeting might go, so they were more prepared when the events actually happened.

Duhigg recommends making a habit of this strategy by spending your morning commute telling yourself a detailed story about the rest of the day.

9. Conduct a planning session

Resist the urge to dive headfirst into your inbox and start your day instead with what psychologist Ron Friedman calls a “planning session.”

Writing in The Harvard Business Review, Friedman suggests asking yourself this question: “The day is over and I am leaving the office with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. What have I achieved?”

Friedman says you’ll want to break each goal into a series of specific action items and then prioritize the most important.

That way, you’ll know exactly what you need to accomplish for the next few hours — and how to get there.

10. Do your most important work

Psychologists recently identified a phenomenon called “decision fatigue,” which explains why it’s helpful to do your most cognitively demanding work first thing in the morning.

Essentially, we have a limited supply of mental energy, and as we exhaust that energy by deciding what to wear and whether to have a salad or sandwich for lunch we have less left over for the important stuff, like drafting a project report.

It’s worth noting that the concept of decision fatigue may be more nuanced than we once believed. If you think your willpower is limited, than you’re likely to feel mentally exhausted at the end of the day. But if you think your willpower is limitless, you may feel ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way.

Businessinsider.com | May 4, 2016 | Shana Lebowitz

#Leadership : 24 Tricky Job-Interview Questions the Best Companies in America are Asking….’If You Could be Remembered for One Sentence, What Would it Be?’ —Google Associate Account-Strategist Candidate

May 5, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

With excellent perks, great pay and benefits, and high job satisfaction, employees at this year’s 50 best companies to work for in America seem to have a good thing going for them. But before you start seething with envy, you should see some of the questions they had to answer to get there.

To find these difficult and sometime odd queries, Business Insider sifted through hundreds of reviews on Glassdoor submitted by people who recently interviewed at the top companies.

If you’re thinking of tossing your hat in the ring, be sure to prepare yourself for some real head-scratchers:

‘If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?’ —Google associate account strategist candidate

‘How many Big Macs does McDonald’s sell each year in the US?’ —Facebook data scientist candidate

‘If this wall was a brick wall, and you were a brick, where would you be in the wall? What impact does this have on the wall as a whole?’ —Expedia market associate candidate

‘Design a spice rack for the blind’ —Intel hardware engineer candidate

‘Choose a city and estimate how many piano tuners operate a business there’ —Google product manager candidate

‘How much do you charge to wash every window in Seattle?’ —Facebook online sales operations candidate

‘How many children are born every day?’ —Apple global-supply manager candidate

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‘If you were to go camping with friends, where would you put your tent?’ —Expedia Senior Financial Analyst candidate

‘What kind of tree would you be?’ —Cisco Systems senior technical writer candidate

‘Why are manholes round?’ —St. Jude Medical electrical-engineer co-op candidate

‘If I was talking to your best friend, what is one thing they would say you need to work on?’ —Apple red-zone specialist candidate

‘If you could be remembered for one sentence, what would it be?’ —Google associate account-strategist candidate

‘If you were standing in a crowd of people, how would you stand out?’ —Microsoft site manager candidate

‘If you were to help a customer who is stuck on a boat in the middle of nowhere, what would be the first thing that you would say to that person?’ —American Express CCSG candidate

‘If I give you $1 million right now, what would you do?’ —Google associate account strategist candidate

‘How would you build Facebook for blind people?’ —Facebook product Manager candidate

‘Sell me this pen’ —Pfizer pharmaceuticals sales representative candidate

‘If you had a choice between two superpowers — being invisible or flying — which would you choose?’ —Microsoft high-level product-lead/evangelist candidate

‘How do you estimate the safe distance from shore given that there could be a tsunami?’ —Ebay analytics manager candidate

‘At this stage in your life would you prefer earning or learning?’ —Google software engineer candidate

‘What were you like as a child?’ —Biogen area business manager candidate

‘Write a program to simulate the writing of a ransom note given a magazine from which letters can be extracted’ —Microsoft software engineer candidate

‘What was your best day in the last four years? What was your worst?’ —Apple engineering Project Manager candidate

‘How did your parents feel about your performance in high school?’ —Eli Lilly senior care sales specialist candidate

Businessinsider.com | May 5, 2016 | Rachel Gillett

Your #Career : Is Your Job Doomed By Technology?…Is Any Job Safe? The Answer is No. It’s Something We’re All Going to Deal With. However,That’s Not the Right Question. The Real Question is: How Will You & Your Field Adapt to Technology?

May 4, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

At the Milken Institute Global Conference I’m attending in Los Angeles this week, brilliant minds are debating some of the most important topics affecting society, from prospects for global markets to “the promise of the cancer moonshot.” One I went to yesterday was a doozy: “Jobs and Technology: Is Any Job Truly Safe?”

“Is any job safe? The answer is no,” moderator and self-employed journalist Dennis Kneale said opening the session, after noting he lost his Fox Business Network job two years ago. “I found the media had almost no jobs and no growth. What happened to me is coming to you guys next and every sector everywhere maybe. ”

But when the panelists were asked whether any job was truly safe, they said… That’s not the right question. The real question, according to the panelists, is: How will you and your field adapt to technology?

How Jobs Have Changed and Will Change

Wendy MacLennan, 54, knows that first hand, as a fantastic story about her by Sue Shellenbarger in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (“An Engineer Returns to Work After Years at Home With the Children”) explained.

MacLennan had been a car designer at GM and Ford before taking 24 years off to raise her four children and teach at a home-schooling co-op. She was rehired at Ford in 2014 as a systems engineer and project manager designing hybrid vehicles. Because technology had changed so much, the new job, she told the Journal, “was way harder than I thought.” She described it as “like being dropped off in a land where you don’t speak the language.”

Goodbye overhead projectors, MacLennan found; hello virtual-meeting software. And the paper drawings she used to do had been replaced by computer-assisted design software. But MacLennan didn’t give up and neither did Ford, which gave her hours of online training and courses. Recently, the Journal said, MacLennan was named Employee of the Month in her 600-person department.

That story had a happy ending. But will yours? And what about other American workers?

Three of the panelists were hopeful, though hardly giddy — Alan Krueger, a Princeton economics professor and former chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors; Michael Chui, a partner at McKinsey Global Institute; and Kate Mitchell, co-founder and partner of the Scale Venture Partners venture capital firm.

One — Martin Ford, an entrepreneur and author of Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future — was more downbeat, though not fatalistic.

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Pessimistic About Jobs, But Not Society

Ford, described by Kneale as “the most pessimistic on the panel,” said: “I am pessimistic specifically about the future of jobs over the long run, but not over the future of society or the economy.” Ford added: “A huge number of jobs, especially routine, predictable ones across the board in industries and occupations and skill levels will be susceptible to automation. Machines are encroaching on the fundamental capability that sets humans apart.”

(More: How to Future-Proof Yourself at Work)

Mitchell, a fan of the growing “gig economy,” disagreed. “I don’t think we’re doomed. Is any existing job truly safe? We all need to be concerned,” she said.

But, Mitchell added, “the National Association of Manufacturers says there are 600,000 jobs going wanting due to a lack of people who can handle the skills of those manufacturing jobs.” In other words: yes, there will be dislocations, but there’ll also be opportunities.

Technology Will Increase, Not Eliminate, Jobs

And, she said emphatically: “Is the goal of technology to eliminate jobs? Absolutely not. What technology can do is increase jobs.”

However, she added, workers need to tech up. “Eight of 10 jobs today require digital literacy,” said Mitchell. “Computer science and data analytics have replaced English as the language people need to know around the world.”

Chui said McKinsey looked at more than 900 occupations and determined that “less than 5 percent of occupations can be fully automated, but 45 percent of activities can be adapted by technologies.”

Krueger conceded that “the nature of work is changing dramatically.” What technology has done, he said, “is, along with globalization, diminish demand for workers with a low level of skills.” But, he noted, “throughout history we have always feared that technology will replace jobs.”

The Jobs We Don’t Know About Yet

Then he presented a stunning, encouraging statistic: “I did a project looking at job growth from the mid 1960s to 2005 and found that the vast majority of job growth came from jobs that hadn’t been invented yet in 1965.” With a nod toThe Graduate, Krueger said, “plastics” jobs grew below average. Job growth, he concluded, “is very difficult to predict.”

Mitchell underscored Krueger’s point about hot jobs being “new” types of jobs by noting that computer scientist is now the most popular job in Colorado, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

Krueger also noted that the Uberization of the economy has invented and ballooned the number of contractor jobs — what he calls “alternative work” — that didn’t exist a few years ago. Citing his research that appeared in The Wall Street Journal in March, since 2005, the number of workers in “alternative arrangements” has risen to nearly 16 percent of the workforce, up from 10 percent a decade ago. “All of the net job growth form 2005 to 2015 is accounted for by growth in alternative work,” he said.

Indeed, the number of UberX drivers — they’re the ones who drive their own, standard cars — has doubled every six months for the last four years, Krueger noted.

But, Ford responded, independent contractor work is not “reliable income”and doesn’t provide fringe benefits in many cases. “Technology enables all this freelance work and the gig economy. It may be just the fist step heading to full automation,” he said. ”Uber is investing very heavily in building self-driving cars.”

Forbes.com | May 4, 2016 | Next Avenue

Your #Career : Job Stability? 5 Types of Employees That Companies Don’t Want Anymore…Are you a Hard Worker? Are you Loyal? That’s Great, But those Attributes Don’t Necessarily Mean you’ll Stay Employed (or Even Get a New Job).

May 4, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

In the modern work world, it takes more than just proving you’ll stay put; you have to actually prove your worth to your employer. Know that there are certain types of employees companies don’t value as much as before. If you’re one of these types of workers, beware, you may have a hard time getting ahead.

Here are five types of employees companies don’t want anymore.

1. The flat liner

When you first started working for your company you had plenty of goals and fresh ideas. Now, all you want to do is get your check and go home. You’re either suffering from burnout, tired, or just don’t care anymore. It’s time to start caring. If you don’t get some motivation and develop ways to contribute to the company, your employer may eventually show you the door. Management expert Jeff Schmitt said this type of employee has simply stopped trying to learn. “We’ve all worked with them. They’re just there, biding their time and collecting a check. No goals. No plan. No purpose. Years ago, they were among the young Turks who begged for more responsibility. Now, they’ve mentally checked out…No, they’re not introverts who mask their passions. They’re simply employees who quit learning and getting better,” said Schmitt.

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2. The martyr

This is the opposite of the flat liner. You would do anything for the benefit of your employer. No request is too much. The word “no” never leaves your lips. Work every weekend for the next five weeks? No problem. Miss the birth of your first child? You got it. Years ago employers loved this level of dedication, but that’s not the case anymore. That’s because the martyr is a potential liability. You’re just one sleepless night away from making a critical error. This is why cloud communication company GetVOIP said this type of employee is actually toxic to the work environment. “The polar opposite of the slacker may seem like an employer’s dream, but a worker who insists on doing everything themselves can cause their own serious set of problems … They may have control issues, or may be working too hard to prove themselves, but they bring an imbalance to the team, foster unrest in the ranks, and are at risk of burnout,” said GetVOIP contributor Reuben Yonatan.

3. The ghost

You lack visibility and you like it that way. Your goal is to fly under the radar: Come to work, finish your projects, and go home. Your desire is to avoid conflict so you can hang on another day. The problem is, being invisible doesn’t work for very long. Being a ghost won’t protect you, it may actually hurt you in the long-run because no one will know what skills you bring to the table. Don’t let your fears of getting let go cause you to hide. Your employer won’t have the time to figure out your value when it’s time for layoffs. What’s even worse is you may be confused for a slacker. Management expert Patty Azzarello said avoiding visibility is a bad idea.

I find that very often when people take this position, they believe that they are on the high ground—that they are somehow morally superior to those who are more visible. And that being visible is, by definition, a shallow, self-serving endeavor. There are three issues with this:
1. If you choose to “fly under the radar,” don’t be confused or upset when you get passed over for raises and promotions. This was your strategy— to make sure no one knows you are there!
2. You are missing the opportunity to do better, more effective, more valuable work, if you don’t connect with others to increase your access to knowledge, experience and learning from others.
3. You are withholding value from the company by not sharing what you have learned with others. There is nothing political about communicating things of value and sharing knowledge. And when you do this, guess what?—you are no longer invisible!

4. The lifer

This type of employee is rare, but they still exist. If you’re one of them, it’s time to change up your plan. Staying with a company for a while can be good, but not if your career has stalled and you don’t have any plans to make a significant contribution. Companies want more than dedication, they want results. Years ago, loyalty was rewarded, but things have changed. So if you’re looking for a pat on the back for coming to work every day, you’ll be waiting for a very long time. So stop counting your perfect attendance for the last 10 years as major accomplishment.

Andrew G. Rosen, founder of career site Jobacle, said being a lifer can lead to complacency. “This can sneak up on you like the flu in the summer … Every season, you should reflect on your job and think about how a hiring agent will perceive your tenure. Are you becoming the lifer you promised you’d never be? If the work no longer excites you and the company is not willing to invest in you, it’s time to find an organization that will,” said Rosen. So if you’re a lifer who is making significant contributions and you’re learning new skills, good for you. But if you’re a lifer just sitting around until it’s time to retire, you may find yourself out of a job sooner rather than later.

5. The trainee

Sure, everyone needs a bit of training every now and then, but if you don’t have the basic skills required to do your job, you’ve got a problem. Employers just don’t have the time to hold your hand. “The Washington Post has a great piece from Peter Cappelli about how the ‘skills shortage’ that people like to blame on schools (and on college students’ choice of focus in their studies) is BS … and that the real issue is that employers just don’t want to train people anymore,” said Alison Green, founder of the website Ask a Manager.

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CheatSheet.com | May 4, 2016 | Sheiresa Ngo